Transformers: Dark of the Moon dropped only 51.9% in its second weekend as it pushed its domestic total to $261 million and became the highest-grossing movie of 2011 so far. Horrible Bosses, the latest in a string of successful “R” rated comedies this year debuted strongly in second place with an estimated $28.1 million, and the talking animal comedy Zookeeper bowed with an estimated $21 million, but the lack of a new blockbuster meant that the box office was down 19% from the same week in 2010 when Despicable Me opened with $56.4 million.

Weekend Box Office (Studio Estimates): July 8 - 10, 2011
	Film	Weekend Gross	Screens	Avg./ Screen	Total Gross	Wk#
1	Transformers: Dark of the Moon	$47,025,000	4,088	$11,503	$261,000,000	2
2	Horrible Bosses	$28,110,000	3,040	$9,247	$28,110,000	1
3	Zookeeper	$21,000,000	3,482	$6,031	$21,000,000	1
4	Cars 2	$15,209,000	3,990	$3,812	$148,828,000	3
5	Bad Teacher	$9,000,000	2,962	$3,038	$78,757,000	3
6	Larry Crowne	$6,264,000	2,976	$2,105	$26,526,000	2
7	Super 8	$4,825,000	2,292	$2,105	$118,056,000	5
8	Monte Carlo	$3,800,000	2,473	$1,537	$16,125,000	2
9	Green Lantern	$3,125,000	2,015	$1,551	$109,709,000	4
10	Mr. Popper's Penguins	$2,850,000	1,996	$1,428	$57,747,000	4

 

In its third weekend Pixar’s Cars 2 did manage to stabilize somewhat as it fell just 42% as it earned $15.2 million, which was good enough for fourth place.  The animated feature has now earned $148.8 million, which is still well behind the past of the first Cars feature.  The “R” rated comedy Bad Teacher fell only 38% in its third frame.  The $20 million Cameron Diaz vehicle has now earned $78.7 million.

 

Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern fell 52.4% in its fourth weekend, but it managed to stay in the top ten (at #9).  The $200 million-plus film has now earned $109 million domestically (and only $33 million overseas).  There is no doubt, that unless Captain America bombs, Green Lantern will be the lowest-grossing superhero film of the summer, since it has no chance of catching X-Men: First Class ($142 million) or Thor ($178.7 million).

 

Right now it appears that the only summer film that has a chance to catch Transformers is the final Harry Potter film, which debuts this weekend, and the Harry Potter movie will have to contend with the debut of Captain America during its second weekend in theaters.  This weekend Transformers: Dark of the Moon actually out-grossed its predecessor Revenge of the Fallen, which fell 61.2% in its second weekend and earned just $42.3 million versus Dark of the Moon’s $47 million.  Still Revenge of the Fallen, which had the tremendous success of the first Transformers movie going for it, had earned $291 million at this point versus Dark of the Moon’s $261 million.  Dark of the Moon is well ahead of the first Transformers movie, which had earned $224 million at this point, and it is likely that the third Transformers film should finish with a domestic total somewhere in between the first film’s $319.2 million and Revenge of the Fallen’s $402 million.  Ironically Revenge of the Fallen is by far the worst of the Transformers movies, not that anyone would mistake any film in the franchise for Citizen Kane.